Entertainment
SNL 50 recap: The special had everything you would expect from a “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary celebration, including dozens of guests, classic characters, and powerful musical performances.
Everything went pretty much how you would expect on “SNL 50,” the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special.
There were dozens of guest stars, cast members new and old, and the show ran ludicrously long, tacking on an extra 27 minutes beyond its allotted three-hour time slot. The only thing out of the ordinary about “SNL 50” was that it aired on a Sunday.
If there was a throughline to the special, it was the strong commitment from “Saturday Night Live” showrunner Lorne Michaels to bridging the gap between the original 1975 cast and the current 2025 group.
The generation-spanning nature of the show was front and center in the “SNL 50” cold open, a musical performance by Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter.
Introducing their duet on “Homeward Bound,” Simon mentioned that he performed the song with George Harrison on “SNL” back in 1976.
“I was not born then,” Carpenter said. “And neither were my parents.”
If “SNL 50” reinforced anything, it was that the more things change elsewhere, the more things stay the same at “Saturday Night Live.” There was a digital short by Andy Samberg and a short film starring John Belushi. Oblivious himbo Chad (Pete Davidson) politely wandered the studio with Laraine Newman. Miley Cyrus sang a Prince song, and Paul McCartney sang a medley of his own.
For those of you who read my recent exploration into the history of Boston on “Saturday Night Live,” you’ll be pleased to hear that both Burlington native Amy Poehler and Lexington native Rachel Dratch played prominent roles in the episode, as did New Hampshire’s own Adam Sandler and Seth Meyers.
Dorchester native Ayo Edebiri popped up in a sketch too, and even Casey Affleck’s Dunkin’ Donuts commercial made a brief appearance.
Below you’ll find a recap of the best moments from “SNL 50,” the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special, a full list of all the cast members and celebrity guests who participated, and my instant reactions to each sketch as I watched along live.
Paul Simon, Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Homeward Bound’
Cast: Sabrina Carpenter, Paul Simon
Instant reaction: In what became a recurring theme of the night, “SNL” bridged the gap between the younger generations and those who grew up on “SNL,” pairing current pop star Sabrina Carpenter with Paul Simon on “Homeward Bound,” a song Simon sang with George Harrison on “SNL” in 1976.
Steve Martin’s Opening Monologue
Cast: Steve Martin, Martin Short, John Mulaney
Instant reaction: Steve Martin was the perfect choice to serve as the unofficial host of “SNL 50,” and did a bang-up job with the opening monologue, which — as Martin sarcastically put it — is often the worst part of the show.
‘Lawrence Welk Show’
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Kim Kardashian, Scarlett Johannsson, Ana Gasteyer, Fred Armisen
Instant reaction: I have to admit, Kristen Wiig’s Dooneese was never my favorite recurring sketch. Will Ferrell’s Robert Goulet at least fit the premise stylistically, and the trio of Kim Kardashian, Ana Gasteyer, and Scarlett Johansson were fine as the better-looking sisters.
‘Black Jeopardy’
Cast: Kenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Tom Hanks
Instant reaction: Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan was a particular highlight in this sketch, which calls back to the 2016 one also featuring Tom Hanks. Can we take a moment to appreciate that Kenan Thompson has been a steady force on “SNL” for two decades without losing a step?
‘Physical Comedy’ (Clip Show)
Cast: Emma Stone, Molly Shannon
Instant Reaction: Emma Stone and Molly Shannon (as Sally O’Malley) introduced this montage of the history of physical comedy on “Saturday Night Live,” starting with a montage of Chevy Chase’s many pratfalls. Shannon had plenty as well as Mary Katherine Gallagher, as did the late Chris Farley.
Domingo
Cast: Martin Short, Molly Shannon, Chloe Fineman, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, Sarah Sherman, Sabrina Carpenter, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg
If you haven’t been watching “SNL” in the last year or so, you may not know that Domingo is Gen Z’s favorite recurring character and a TikTok sensation. Sabrina Carpenter coming in to sing (intentionally badly) the parody of her own song was a nice touch.
Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey
Instant reaction: Like many old episodes of “SNL,” the show aired a quick thought from humorist Jack Handey: “Looking back over 50 years, we treasure the laughs, the friendships, the fond memories. But the real treasure was how much money we were making.”
Audience Q&A
Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Quinta Brunson, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Nate Bergatze, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Adam Driver, Cher, Keith Richards, Jon Hamm, Bad Bunny, Seth Meyers, Ray Romano, Al Sharpton, Jason Momoa, Fred Armisen, Peyton Manning, Zach Galifianakis
Instant reaction: Just when I was beginning to fall out of love with this segment, Seth Meyers pulled me back into it by asking Fey and Poehler whether this “whole question and answer thing is just a way to give some airtime to celebrities who aren’t in other parts of the show.”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me,” Fey said. “What do you think, Reverend Al Sharpton and Ray Romano?”
Digital Short: Anxiety
Cast: Bowen Yang, Andy Samberg, Chris Parnell, Sarah Sherman, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer
Instant reaction: Friday night’s “SNL in Concert” had a medley of some of Samberg’s most popular Digital Shorts, so I was a little worried the Lonely Island frontman wouldn’t get a chance to shine in this special. Luckily, he and Bowen Yang cooked up a new song about how everyone on “SNL” is sick to their stomach at all times.
Miley Cyrus, Brittany Howard, The Roots – ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’
Instant reaction: Wow, that was interesting! After a brief intro from former NBC page Aubrey Plaza, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covering “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Could be seen as both a tribute to Prince and to Sinead O’Connor, who famously covered the song and took a ton of heat for tearing up a picture of the Pope on “SNL” back in 1992. I never heard if Sinead and Lorne Michaels were on good terms after that incident, but regardless, this was a lovely performance.
Weekend Update
Cast: Colin Jost, Michael Che, Seth Meyers, Bill Murray, Vanessa Bayer, Fred Armisen, Cecily Strong, Bobby Moynihan
Instant reaction: The single biggest laugh of the night for me was this one-liner from Michael Che about Norm MacDonald.
“Norm MacDonald, who hosted ‘Weekend Update’ until he was fired for making jokes about OJ Simpson. And he’s obviously one of my heroes, so if you’re watching up there, I just want to say, ‘We love you OJ.”
Close Encounter
Cast: Aidy Bryant, Jon Hamm, Kate McKinnon, Meryl Streep, Pedro Pascal, Woody Harrelson
Instant reaction: Kate McKinnon continues to be an absolute master of knowing where the camera is and invading personal space. Didn’t think Pedro and Woody added much, but Meryl’s inclusion was worth it alone for the “Devil Wears Prada” joke.
Chad in 8H
Cast: Laraine Newman, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day
Instant reaction: Laraine Newman can still bring it! And Pete Davidson’s Chad was the perfect recurring character to come back — the pre-taped bit was a nice relief from some of the over-long sketches that preceded it.
Adam Sandler’s Song
Cast: Adam Sandler
Instant reaction: Sandler was playing catch-up with the music and cue cards for a bit, but he leaned into the sentimentality and brought it home at the end. And whoa, rare Jack Nicholson sighting!
New York Musical
Cast: See below.
Instant reaction: OK, so I believe that musical sketch chronicling NYC through the decades featured… *deep breath* John Mulaney, Pete Davidson, David Spade, Maya Rudolph, Adam Driver, Paul Shaffer, GE Smith, Nathan Lane, Chloe Fineman, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Lin Manuel Miranda, Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, Alex Moffat Sarah Sherman, Devon Walker, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, James Austin Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Nick Jonas, Ana Gasteyer, and Taran Killam — plus a couple of uncomfortable audience members that weren’t really part of the sketch in Jenna Ortega, Kevin Costner, Larry David, and Jerry Seinfeld. Did I miss anyone?
Commercial Parodies (Clip Show)
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Sarah Sherman
Another clip show, this time featuring 50 years of commercial parodies. Oops I Crapped my Pants, Little Chocolate Donuts, Colon Blow, the list goes on. Even Casey Affleck’s Dunkin’ Donuts commercial made the cut!
Bronx Beat / Coffee Talk
Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Mike Myers, Miles Teller
Instant reaction: A mashup of two recurring talk shows, unfortunately plagued by audio issues for about the first minute of the sketch. Watching a boom mic hastily move in and out of frame was a nice reminder that what we were watching was live.
Lil Wayne Musical Performance
Instant reaction: Following an intro from Dave Chappelle, Lil Wayne ran through a medley of some of his bigger hits, with The Roots as his backing band. Not bad, but other than Sandler, the worst of the musical performances.
In Memoriam (Clip Show)
Cast: Tom Hanks
Instant reaction: A somber Tom Hanks sets us up to think we’ll see a montage of dead cast members. Instea, he gives us a montage of “SNL” clips that could never air today, featuring ethnic stereotypes, sexual harassment, blackface, and appearances from Jared Fogle, Diddy, OJ Simpson, and Robert Blake. One of the highlights of the night.
Debbie Downer
Cast: Rachel Dratch, Jimmy Fallon, Robert De Niro, Ayo Edebiri, Drew Barrymore
Instant reaction: It wasn’t the Boston Teens, but we got Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch in a sketch together — not to mention Dorchester native Ayo Edebiri in a small role. I especially enjoyed Dratch referring to how Fallon broke so profoundly in the Disney World edition of the sketch.
Scared Straight
Cast: Kenan Thompson, Eddie Murphy, Jason Sudeikis, Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day, Michael Longfellow, Will Ferrell
Instant reaction: Another recurring sketch, this time elevated by the inclusion of Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell. (Gonna ignore the fact that 44-year-old Mikey Day is playing a teen.)
“Look Back in Anger”
Cast: Garrett Morris
Instant reaction: Original cast member Garrett Morris introduces a Tom Schiller short film that Morris says features all of the original cast. That’s not really true; it’s just John Belushi, visiting the graves of the rest of the Not Ready for Primetime Players. Given that Morris, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman were all in attendance, it only felt right to involve Belushi in some way.
Paul McCartney Musical Performance
Instant reaction: Introduced by Martin Short, Sir Paul McCartney performed the medley that concludes “Abbey Road” — “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry that Weight,” and “The End.” A fitting end to 50 years of remembrance. (Note: This performance was not available online at the time this article was published.)
Overall Grade: B+. A lot of great material, especially for those of us who have been watching “SNL” for a long time. The clip shows and montages were a ton of fun, especially the faux in memoriam. A lot of sketches were overstuffed, but that’s the nature of a retrospective like this. Overall, a pretty entertaining 3 1/2 hours.
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